80 children die in MP government hospital in six months, BJP MLA questions own government
Between April and June, 34 children died, followed by 46 from July to September.
In a government hospital in Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh, at least 80 newborns have died in the past six months. According to a report published on Wednesday by Indian Express , 34 infants died between April and June, and 46 between July and September. Following these deaths, questions have been raised regarding the treatment facilities, the presence of doctors, and the care of infants at the hospital.
The hospital administration has cited premature birth and low birth weight as the main reasons for the deaths. Meanwhile, some families have alleged that their children did not receive adequate and timely treatment. Local BJP MLA Dinesh Rai Munmun has also questioned the hospital's arrangements and demanded an investigation into the matter.
After receiving complaints about the deaths of children and negligence in treatment, local MLA Rai conducted a surprise inspection of the hospital on Saturday. He told Indian Express that,
upon arriving at the hospital, the outsourced staff initially tried to prevent him from entering. According to the MLA, the staff claimed that a departmental inquiry and audit were underway at the hospital. Rai alleged that there were no doctors present during his inspection. He reported receiving complaints about the absence of doctors, demands for money from patients, and a high number of newborn deaths.
MLA Rai claimed that,
46 children have died in the past three months due to difficulty in breathing. According to him, ventilators are available for such children in the hospital, and a doctor should be assigned to monitor them, but no doctors are present at night. He also raised questions about the training of nurses.
The MLA stated that primarily poor families come to the district hospital for treatment. He demanded that,
if the investigation confirms that the deaths of children were due to the negligence of doctors, criminal action should be taken against those responsible.
On the other hand, Civil Surgeon Dr. Vinod Kumar Navkar defended the hospital, stating that seriously ill infants from rural areas of the district are referred to the special neonatal care unit, or SNCU, here. Many of these children are born at six, seven, or eight months of pregnancy. According to Navkar, the hospital has treated 1,188 children in the past six months, of which 642 had a birth weight below normal. He mentioned that treatment was provided to 582 children with very low birth weight, including newborns weighing 1,100 grams, 900 grams, and even 500 grams.
According to the World Health Organization, a birth weight of less than 2.5 kilograms is considered low birth weight. Navkar stated that premature and low-birth-weight children have a higher risk of mortality. He claimed that in such cases, the mortality rate can be as high as 48 percent.
Defending the hospital, Navkar stated that the neonatal mortality rate in the SNCU is less than 7.5 percent and is lower than that of other districts in the Jabalpur division. He mentioned that a 10 percent recommended mortality rate standard exists for neonatal units. However, Rai objected to this assessment, stating that the recorded death figures at the hospital do not reflect the entire situation, as some seriously ill newborns are referred to other hospitals. He raised questions about the administration's comparative claims on this basis.
Civil Surgeon Navkar also indicated the need for more cooperation from the pediatric department of the medical college associated with the district hospital. According to him, the hospital had requested assistance from the department, but necessary duty arrangements were not made.
Meanwhile, Manish Warkade, a resident of Dungaria village in the Barghat block, alleged that his wife, who was admitted to the hospital in July, did not receive timely medical assistance. He stated that his wife was referred from Barghat to Seoni and that the newborn died after being admitted to the SNCU.
Sanjay Uike, a resident of Jwarakathi, also recounted the details of his child's death. According to him, his wife was sent to Seoni due to complications during pregnancy. The baby was born in the seventh month and weighed about 1.6 kilograms. The doctors had informed the family that the baby's heartbeat was weak.
Uike stated that after several days in the SNCU, the baby was transferred to another machine and died a few hours later. Amidst the complaints from relatives and the allegations from the MLA, the hospital administration continues to cite premature birth and low birth weight as the primary reasons for the deaths.